Flask



R. L. JEWELL July 8, 1958 1 FLASK Filed June .4, 19152 (Ittorngg United States Patent FLASK Raymond L. Jewell, Erie, Pa., assignor to American Sterilizer Company, Erie, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 4, 1952, Serial No. 291,690

1 Claim. (Cl. 215-100) This invention is a flask for intravenous solutions having a bail normally collapsed within the envelope of the flask so as to be out of the way during filling, sterilizing and storage. The design is such that no special precautions are necessary to move the bail to collapsed position.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the flask in its upright storage position.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the flask suspended in the inverted position for use.

In the drawing, 1 indicates a flask having a mouth 2 stoppered by a suitable closure which may for example consist of a rubber plug or bushing 3 having a bore 4 for receiving draw-off tubing 5 and closed during sterilization and storage by a removable plug 6. For the purpose of economizing space the flask is generally square as indicated in Fig. 3. The parts so far described are of or may be of common construction.

For the purpose of supporting the flask in an inverted position during intravenous injection there is provided a wire bail having sides 7, which are spaced apart a distance equal to or slightly less than the width of the flask, and slidably straddle and extend axially up along opposite sidewalls of the flask. The sides are loosely received in grooves or recesses 8 in the sidewalls of the flask, and have inturned ends or projections 9, which are received in elongated axially extending re-entrant indentations in the sidewalls of the flask which are substantially direct continuations of the grooves 8. The indentations have abrupt shoulders or abutments 11, which in the extended position of the bail co-operate with the inturned ends 9 to provide the necessary support. The grooves 8 and the indentations 10 allow free sliding movement of the bail from the extended position shown in Fig. 4 to the retracted position shown in Fig. 1. The grooves 8 so confine the sides of the bail that the bail cannot be swung to one side far enough so that it will not automatically be moved to the retracted or collapsed position, when the flask is rested on a supporting surface. In dotted lines in Fig. 2, the bail is shown at approximately the maximum out of line position. Even if the bail is intentionally held in this position, it will be moved to the retracted position whenever the flask is rested on a supporting surface.

its retracted or The grooves and indentations can easily be formed in the glass from which the flask is usually made. Furthermore, the grooves and indentations can be provided with well rounded surfaces so that they are easy to keep clean. The usual raised or recessed bottom 12 of the flask provides clearance for receiving the center portion 13 of the bail which is provided with an indentation 14 for the usual supporting hook.

With this bail structure, the bail is out of the way during all of the handling operations up to the support of the bottle in an inverted position at the point of use. Be-

cause the sides of the bail are recessed into the envelope of the flask, there are no projections which would interfere with the stacking of the flasks in a sterilizer or on a storage shelf. Because of the well rounded surfaces, it is not necessary to remove the bail for cleaning, but if need be, the bail can be removed by merely springing the ends apart.

What is claimed as new is:

A flask having a square bottom and upstanding side walls defining a square envelope, the bottom having a raised center portion, a U-shaped bail received entirely within the envelope of the flask with the base of the U extending across the bottom of the flask midway between two of the upstanding side walls on opposite sides of the flask and normal to the other two upstanding side walls of the flask and with the sides of the U straddling and extending axially up along said other two upstanding side walls of the flask, an indentation in the center of the base of the U standing out from the raised center portion of the bottom of the flask but within the envelope of the flask, elongated axially extending reentrant recesses in the side walls receiving the sides of the U entirely'within the envelope of the flask, inwardly extending projections on the cesses, said recesses having outwardly extending abutments located closer to the bottom of the flask than the projections on the sides of the bail when the sides of the bail are in their uppermost position and cooperating with the projections to limit the extension of the bail from the bottom of the flask, and said recesses having sides cooperating with the sides of the U to limit the swinging of the bail so the base of the U cannot be swung to one side far enough so that it will not automatically be moved to the retracted position when the bottom of the flask is rested on a supporting surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 340,721 Litchfield Apr. 27, 1886 468,639 Bryant Feb. 9, 1892 528,382 Obermainn Oct. 30, 1894 584,044 Little June 8, 1897 861,091 Clark July 23, 1907 1,867,632 Roche July 19, 1932 1,941,071 Baxter Dec. 26, 1933 2,304,547 Cutter Dec. 8, 1942 sides of the bail within said re- 

